It's a no-win situation for Rubens

There are tougher deals in life than banking an annual salary a shade below £4 million, probably as much again in sponsorship deals and driving for the sexiest, most famous team in the history of motor racing.

But if you are Michael Schumacher's No 2 then there is a down side. Your Ferrari may be the fastest car on the grid, but you will never be allowed to win a race as long as Schumacher is in with a chance.

Rubens Barrichello is about to start his third season as the quadruple world champion's bag carrier. The Brazilian is 30 in May, yet is still resolutely of the starry-eyed opinion that it is possible for him to challenge for the drivers' title. This despite the fact that he has yet to drive so much as one inch in the troublesome new Ferrari, which is so unreliable that Schumacher and Barrichello will drive last year's model when the new season starts in Melbourne on Sunday. Every minute of testing in the new car to date - 10 days of it in fact - has gone to Schumacher.

"Michael is happy with it but I still have to wait for my chance. Of course I would have liked to have driven it but the test team is set up for one guy in one direction. When the other guy gets his chance, it can't be for one day. It has to be for five days because the change is so big. The second car wasn't ready so we couldn't do it. It wasn't at all frustrating for me because I was driving the old car thinking anyway this will be the one we use for the first three races.

"I never wish I was in Michael's position. I don't envy him. I'm so happy with my life. I'm so open to the future. My time will come. I'm so determined to make it work."

Barrichello was speaking on one of his many working days, which are largely invisible to punters, given over to sponsorship duties. Having spent the morning in Manchester beating the drum for Ferrari's petrol suppliers, he found himself in the unusual surroundings of London's Science Museum, promoting an Alfa Romeo exhibition. Ferrari's links to Alfa go back to their founder Enzo Ferrari, who first drove for Alfa and then ran the team before creating his own. Barrichello understands the importance of such promotional work.

"I know people have the image of just glory," he said. "The best time for me is when I close the visor and I'm just driving. But Jackie Stewart taught me the importance of this side of things a long time ago. He taught me how to behave in front of sponsors and the public. It's a payback. We need a lot from the sponsors and they need something from us."

Plenty believe Barrichello's deal at Ferrari is about payback too. He gets the glamour and the dough, in exchange for accepting that only one driver can go for the title and it isn't him.

Damon Hill, for one, thinks the Brazilian has to get real. "Being No 2 at Ferrari is a no-win situation - literally," said the 1996 world champion. "No driver worth his salt is ever going to accept that he's going to be beaten by his team-mate, but the way things are at Ferrari right now, that's exactly what's going to happen.

"I think Eddie Irvine did the job better than Rubens. Eddie set himself a target - to get as close to Michael as he possibly could, and in the process to do a good supporting job for Michael and the team. But Rubens hasn't accepted that. He's still thinking about winning the championship when he'd have to move a mountain to make that happen.

"He'd be better off accepting that his job is to help Michael win more championships. At the moment Rubens just isn't focused on that role. He's a good driver and it's a shame to have to say this, but I think his place at Ferrari looks vulnerable."

Yet Barrichello is resolute. "I think my time will come at Ferrari. Yes, when Michael is still there. I know some people think that is impossible. But I think there is at least a 20 per cent chance of my winning the title when Michael is still there. I'm not a dreamer and I know for a fact I can be quick in the car. Given the right moment I can do better than anyone else. But it's tough being Michael's No 2."

Asked if the job is rewarding, he gave a politician's answer by avoiding the question.

"Er," Barrichello said. "Michael is a tough driver because he's fast.

"It's a challenge and I love that. Sometimes you see me down because I didn't agree with something the team wanted. But I'm honoured to be driving. I went through a period of uncertainty, when I wondered about what I was doing and I cared about what people said. But now I don't care. I'm driving for myself.

"No, it's not demeaning being his No 2. If I cared about what people said, then yes, because Michael's driving is talked about so much more than mine. But I don't care. I seriously don't envy him.

"I think it is a bad thing to envy someone and want to be someone you're not. I'm glad to be myself. I wouldn't want to change who I am for anything. I have a marvellous life."

But when people discuss whether Schumacher is the best driver of all time, doesn't Barrichello think how good it would be to be discussed that way?

"To my father, I am the best," he smiled. "I'm happy with that."

The Alfa Romeo exhibition, Sustaining Beauty - 90 Years Of Art In Engineering, continues at the Science Museum until 30 April.